Songs written about real people.
I interviewed the Spaceman in '91 and asked him about this song. He bummed a Drum rollie and talked about vodka binges in the Hollywood Hills with WZ, may he have finally found peace.
Songs written about real people.
I interviewed the Spaceman in '91 and asked him about this song. He bummed a Drum rollie and talked about vodka binges in the Hollywood Hills with WZ, may he have finally found peace.
MC Frontalot Charity Case (MP3 download)
Frontalot: what a stooopid name.
Sham 69 wrote a song about me, Going down the pub.
Dylan’s is great too, but I thought I’d save him for another one.
Grateful Dead - Bird Song - About Janis Joplin
All I know is something like a bird
within her sang
All I know she sang a little while
and then flew on
Tell me all that you know
I’ll show you
Snow and rain
If you hear that same sweet song again
will you know why?
Anyone who sings a tune so sweet
is passing by
Grateful Dead - He’s Gone - About drummer Micky Hart’s father, who was managing the band but took off with US$ 100,000 of their money… this was the Dead’s only response to the incident…
Rat in a drain ditch
Caught on a limb
You know better but
I know him
Like I told you
What I said
Steal your face
right off you head
Now he’s Gone
Lord he’s gone
Like a steam locomotive
rolling down the track
He’s gone
He’s gone
and nothing’s gonna bring him back
He’s gone
Nine mile skid
on a ten mile ride
Hot as a pistol
but cool inside
Cat on a tin roof
Dogs in a pile
Nothing left to do but
smile, smile, smile
Now he’s gone
Lord he’s gone
Like a steam locomotive
rolling down the track
He’s gone
He’s gone
and nothing’s gonna bring him back
He’s gone
Going where the wind don’t blow so strange
Maybe on some high cold mountain range
Lost one round but the price wasn’t anything
Knife in a back and more of the same
Same old rat in a drain ditch
Out on a limb
You know better but I know him
Now he’s gone
Lord he’s gone
Like a steam locomotive
rolling down the track
He’s gone
He’s gone
and nothin’s gonna bring him back
He’s gone…
Grateful Dead - Casey Jones - About John Luther (“Casey”) Jones (OK, its not a very accurate bio)
This old engine
makes it on time
Leaves Central Station
at a quarter to nine
Hits River Junction
at seventeen to
at a quarter to ten
you know it’s trav’lin again
Drivin’ that train
High on cocaine
Casey Jones you better
watch your speed
Trouble ahead
Trouble behind
and you know that notion
just crossed my mind
Trouble ahead
The Lady in Red
Take my advice
you be better off dead
Switchman sleepin
Train hundred and two
is on the wrong track and
headed for you
Drivin’ that train
High on cocaine
Casey Jones you better
watch your speed
Trouble ahead
Trouble behind
and you know that notion
just crossed my mind
Trouble with you is
The trouble with me
Got two good eyes
but we still don’t see
Come round the bend
You know it’s the end
The fireman screams and
The engine just gleams
Drivin’ that train
High on cocaine
Casey Jones you better
watch your speed
Trouble ahead
Trouble behind
and you know that notion
just crossed my mind
Grateful Dead - Stagger Lee - About Stagger Lee Shelton, a taxi cab driver and pimp convicted of murdering William “Billy” Lyons on Christmas Eve, 1895 in St. Louis, Missouri.
1940 Xmas evening with a full moon over town
Stagger Lee met Billy DeLyon
and he blew that poor boy down
Do you know what he shot him for?
What do you make of that?
'Cause Billy DeLyon threw lucky dice,
won Stagge Lee’s Stetson hat
Baio, Baio, tell me how can this be?
You arrest the girls for turning tricks
but you’re scared of Stagger Lee
Stagger Lee is a madman and he shot my Billy dead
Baio you go get him or give the job to me
Delia DeLyon, dear sweet Delia-D
How the hell can I arrest him when he’s twice as big as me?
Don’t ask me to go downtown - I wouldn’t come back alive
Not only is that mother big but he packs a .45
Baio Delia said just give me a gun
He shot my Billy dead now I’m gonna see him hung
She waded to DeLyon’s Club through Billy DeLyon’s blood
Stepped up to Stagger Lee at the bar
Said Buy me a gin fizz, love
As Stagger Lee lit a cigarette she shot him in the balls
Blew the smoke off her revolver, had him dragged to city hall
Baio, Baio, see you hang him high
He shot my Billy dead and now he’s got to die
Delia went a walking down on Singapore Street
A three-piece band on the corner played “Nearer, My God, to Thee”
but Delia whistled a different tune…what tune could it be?
The song that woman sung was Look out Stagger Lee
Nice! But I do like the Nick Cave version of Meester. Stagger Lee.
Topical, because I enjoyed the pleasure of my Thai princesses and yet some more tonight and we were talking about this song, which is semi-autobiographical. Thai Singer Benz and Do Ra Me.
All about the hard roads pre-fame and how she practised for years as a singer missing the scales until she won a talent show.
HG
I went camping last night.
Fifty Mission Cap by the Tragically Hip: Arguably more about the Leafs than Bill Barilko, but there you go. Gord Downie, the singer for the Hip, also refers to it as a song called “Flag on Backpack.”
Batting Average: 99.94
He asked once what he would average against today’s bowlers. By ‘today’ I mean the early 1980s, when the question was asked. You know, the days of the West Indian superfast quartet etc. Well, Bradman answered confidently that he thought he’d probably manage an average of about 60. The surprised interviewer, sensing a scoop, asked Really? “Mind you I’m pushing 90” (years old) Bradman continued.
Because after all it was about you and me.